Social
Location
River Campus Seminary 260
Mailing Address
One University Plaza, MS 7800
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701

Dr. Sara Edgerton is Professor of Cello and String Bass at Southeast Missouri State University, and is the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra at Southeast Missouri State University. Under her direction, the orchestra has commissioned and presented a number of world premieres, including such recent works as Timeless Banks and Shoals by Gordon (Dick) Goodwin (2017), and Dangerously Slick by Robert Fruehwald (2016). She has conducted the symphony on tour, including an East Coast tour (2013) with performances in Virginia and in New York City, and China (2009). She has also led the orchestra in concert appearances throughout Missouri. She has conducted the combined Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois Symphonies in several large-scale concerts, including performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the River Campus and at SIU-Carbondale. As conductor, Dr. Edgerton has collaborated with such soloists as Mark O’Connor, Grammy Award Winning Violinist; Allen Vizzutti, Trumpet Virtuoso; Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Valentina Igoshina and Jack Gibbons, internationally-acclaimed concert pianists; Cho-liang Lin, concert violinist; David Halen, Concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony; Mark Sparks, Former Principal Flutist of the St. Louis Symphony; and Viviana Guzman, flutist and international concert artist. Other recent conducting activities include conducting the Festival Suoni d’Abruzzo orchestra in concerts in Guardiagrele and San Vito Chietino, Italy (summer 2017).

Dr. Edgerton also enjoys an active performing career as a cellist. She has collaborated with such composers as Aaron Copland, Karel Husa, Claude Baker and Morton Subotnick in performances of their works, and has premiered a number of works for the cello. Dr. Edgerton has appeared at numerous festivals and on many concert series throughout the United States and in England, and has also given concerts in China. She also performs as a member of the cello section of the Paducah Symphony (KY). Additional recent performances include online recitals on the St. Bride’s Lunchtime Recital Series (London, England) and the Muncie (IN) Symphony Chamber Music Concerts.

Dr. Edgerton received her undergraduate degree in cello performance from the Eastman School of Music as a student of Ronald Leonard and Alan Harris, and the Master of Arts and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from Cornell University, where she was the recipient of numerous fellowships and awards. She has also studied string bass at Eastman with the renowned string bass professor Oscar Zimmerman. Conducting studies have been with Glenn Block, Jorge Mester, Kirk Muspratt, Manuel Alvarez and Donald Portnoy. She has received a number of awards including the Award for Outstanding Scholarship and Creative Activity from the College of Liberal Arts at Southeast Missouri State University, the Artist Teacher Award from the Missouri Chapter of ASTA, the Southeast Faculty Alumni Award, and the Award for Distinguished Service from the College of Liberal Arts at Southeast.